rowan25
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Posts posted by rowan25
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Do you have the SOTW activity guides? I really like them. Also one of our favorite activity books has been Ancient Egyptians and Their Neighbors. There's a whole series of these, but that was our favorite.
Not yet, but I'm planning on it.
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4th grade mainly. I really tried to follow the syllabus for that, but I found it difficult to follow. The language arts sections were way way below my ds's level and useless. So I tried to focus on the science and history.
The quality of the materials for the price , even used, was what really bothered me.
I also had some 2nd grade materials that I was going to use this year for 1st. I was not impressed with the books at all.
I just find it so overwhelming in projects and unwieldy to implement. The Teacher's process book for the younger grades was basically a joke. The health book recommended for the elementary grades is difficult to use and better suited to a day care/preschool class setting.
Recorders!!! I can't do it. I cannot stand the sound of a recorder. The arts and crafts books border on silliness.
I found the NativeAmerican stories in OM4th Indian Legends very poorly done.
Basically my main issue with OM is $$$ for poorly done materials, behind grade level, and way too teacher intensive.
One of the first lessons was to make a topography model of your area and over the year you're adding to it and learning about the Native tribes from your area. We tried to do that..and got a bit far with it, but the directions and pictures were fuzzy (like a bad photocopy of a bad pencil drawing, the science section was the same) and it required me to do a ton of research and looking for other materials. It gave me nothing to work off of.
Honestly if I had wanted a book of projects or activities I can find better materials for those things. I prefer the project to be an extra...not the entire lesson itself.
Now I didn't have a Teacher manual, but of it were anything like the one for elementary little good it would have done me. I have no idea if it would have been helpful.
We read some of the novels. But I didn't really need OM to get read aloud suggestions.
The only good thing that came from it was discovering The Private Eye and jeweler's loupes.
I try to look for used curriculum, so mine wasn't a recent copyright. No idea if more recent OM is done any better, but I just didn't like it.
I prefer a main text to read and discuss, extra reading booklists (fiction and non fiction) to pull from, project ideas when and if we want to work on one. SOTW, HO, and WTM booklists work well for that.
Ok, that was my overall feeling as well. My daughter is continually drawn to the promise of project vs. so much constant writing, summarizing, etc. I was drawn to the combination of english with the history as my last few english purchases have been a bust. Think we might just use SOTW and HO as a jumping off point and find project to match. sigh.......................LOL
And now to find something Englishy........ :-P
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I like the Pandia Press curriculum, history and science, and the gorgeous timeline. But it's not for everyone. I look at the schedule as options rather than a checklist of things that must get done.
I've also decided to read K12 Human Odyssey next year.
I've drooled over OM forever, finally started jumping into it a couple years back and was insanely disappointed.
I hear their history for the older grades is decent, but my longing for OM or Waldorf inspired anything is firmly buried.
If you child didn't like SOTW or CHOW then they probably won't like TSOM. I'll be using Pandia Press level 2 next year, but I already know that my child will not like the Van Loon book. At least not as a history spine. So I'm going to try to inject the K12 text into it instead.
What grades did you try for OM? What was disappointing? We also tried K-2 and were disappointed. Like you, I've heard better things about the upper levels, but......once bitten, twice shy!
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We tried History Odyssey level 2, and we hated it. It was dry as dust and way, way, way too busy. The kids really hated doing 5 or 6 different, little things each day, and as someone else mentioned, it sucked the life right out of history. It's truly one of the worst curriculum choices we ever made.
Thank you. That is sortof the feeling I got from flipping through it. :-/
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I don't have much knowledge of the programs you're considering, but I don't think history should be something that you spend too many sleepless nights over, especially not in the elementary stages. Had you thought of doing a bit of unit studies and/or interest-led stuff from the Ancients periods, using your own mix and match books and activities?
Yes, we've done this until now and I will continue to do this with my younger son. But my daughter is moving into middle school and is requesting a bit "more" while still keeping it fun. I'm running out of steam for creating my own thing and would really like something to use as a springboard/spine.
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Hello everyone,
I thought I had everything set for next year and then......I didn't. Right now I'm flip-flopping back and forth between History Odyssey Level 2 Ancients and Oak Meadow's fifth grade English/History. I'm looking for opinions on both, please.
English hasn't been a focus the past two years because my daughter was very advanced in this area. But as a result, writing hasn't been a focus either and needs to be brought up to snuff. She isn't very excited about doing ancients, but most of the books in OM's program have already been read multiple times. Nothing is really lighting my fire. We tried HO level 1 ancients a few years ago, but she really hated SOTW and CHOW.
Any thoughts on these programs, or even suggestions for others would be greatly appreciated!
rowan
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Thank you, everyone, for chiming in with your suggestions!! I haven't made any decisions yet, so if you have other thoughts, please keep them coming. :-)
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Check out "How To Defeat Your Child's Dyslexia" on Amazon -- it's really inexpensive right now because it is a new launch, but it has tons of information in there about sorting out different problems that can affect a child's reading, recommended programs for diagnosable dyslexia, suggestions for tools and workarounds to enable your child to learn and stay on grade level even though he can't read yet and a whole lot more. If you read the negative reviews about "Overcoming Dyslexia," you'll see the primary complaint is that the book is mistitled.. It's more "About Dyslexia" than it is a guide to overcoming dyslexia. "How To Defeat Your Child's Dyslexia" is designed to fill that gap in information. ;-)
Thanks!!! I will!
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I kind of chuckle at how the purists hate the Davis method and vice versa- I personally don't care- just wanted what was best for my child.
Exactly!!!!
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We found out my son had trouble crossing the midline with an OT evaluation. OT helped him!
I was not able to do this with my son..... but bilateral coordination can "go with" crossing the midline. I had never heard of it, but if you google you can find activities. I was not able to really do these activities with my son before he was in OT -- but a lot of people do, I think.
I am mentioning, because I had never heard of OT really, and never known these were things that OT could help. For my son -- he had a problem with his eye tracking that was related to crossing the midline, so OT did have some positive impact on his reading.
But mostly he has needed the phonemic awaremess-type of stuff. And yes, multisensory!
Wishing you the best :)
I believe there are some aspects of Waldorf schooling that could help crossing midline, etc. I need to pull my notes out and review that aspect. Thanks for the heads up on this.
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One of the biggest things I would recommend is to choose something that is truly MULTI SENSORY for your child. That is why Orton Gillingham programs tend to be so effective. Davis is also a very multisensory experience. There is a lot of evidence that is the multisensory nature of the instruction that really cements things for kids with dyslexia and actually changes their neural pathways when they read. There is MRI research actually showing new pathways of brain activity after OG instruction. OG is the methodology of choice at every single private school for dyslexics as well. And I say this as someone who did not choose OG either - I'm just telling you what is out there. Also not saying that AAR is a bad reading program, it is just not recommended by dyslexia experts because it is not considered multi sensory or systematic enough. We actually use Dancing Bears because it is actually quite consistent with Davis in its use of morphemes and the cursor. But yes the stories are weird. However my son loves them.
Best of luck to you.
Yes, multi sensory is DEFINITELY what I need for him.
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The Davis method does not work for everyone ---- b/c not everyone is having the same root problems.
There are a lot of reasons that a child can have difficulty, it is not the same difficulty for every one.
People see different things. LIke -- some kids have trouble with non-phonetic words but do fine with more phonetic words, some kids can't blend or sound out at all (my son was like this), some kids are seeing letters reversed and reading words backwards or as if they are switching around the order of the letters (my son has never done this), some kids are having extreme trouble learning the letters and letter sounds (my son was like this)....
That is just off the top of my head. It takes doing some investigation or having an evaluation.
There are some things that are more common than others ---- phonemic awareness is (supposedly I guess) supposed to be the most common -- so I think it is worth looking into. That would be like -- reading Overcoming Dyslexia or looking at the Barton reading website.
If you look at the Davis book and it is like "ding ding ding" then that is good. I looked at it and it was just ---- not what I was seeing. But I read Overcoming Dyslexia and felt like "ding ding ding."
What is too bad -- to some extent, not everyone has the same progress with the same program. So it is hard to say -- well, here is the best program, just do this one.
If you think your child has problems with phonemic awareness ---- probably Davis is not the way to go. If you think phonemic awareness is not a problem at all -- then things that worked for my son might not be as good of fits.
But no one can tell you from here ---- whether your child has a problem with phonemic awareness, or a problem with 3D perception, or what. But -- you are looking, I think the good news is -- there is a lot out there, and a lot of kids making good progress once they have a good program that fits their needs ;)
Also -- no one can tell you that All About Reading is not a good choice! If you have not tried a very formal reading program yet ----- it is like, you know he does not just pick it up on his own. But now that you know he just doesn't pick it up on his own (at his current age at least) ----- it really could be that just starting All About Reading will be helpful!
Thank you!! The "ding ding ding" method makes sense to me! LOL
He does have some auditory issues, but mainly I see visual mistakes. Also his secondary characteristics fall closely upon the visual side as well, i.e. clumsy, trouble crossing midline, awkward running, etc. And he is highly visually oriented as well, so I'm thinking that something leaning visual will help more than the auditory will---of course, not to exclude the auditory aspect, but perhaps less strong of a focus, if that makes sense.
Sounds like the best thing is probably going to be a mix of methods!!! So typical of my kiddos!! :)
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I have a dyslexic 3rd grader and am active in several dyslexia related groups. Here are the reading programs that get the most support and endorsements from parents:
Orton Gillingham programs like Barton or Wilson - multisensory, systematic and the gold standard for dyslexia (AAR is may have elements but it is not OG and not intended for dyslexia, personally I would not choose it for dyslexia)
Aabecedarian - good for milder dyslexics, less heavy on rules than OG which may be a better fit for kids with processing issues
Dancing Bears - morpheme approach, published by Sound Foundations in Britain
Davis Dyslexia - a very different approach, read Gift of Dyslexia by Ron Davis, seems to work very well for some dyslexics but not for all. Works very well for the dyslexics in my family.
I hope this helps. This is sort of my summary of what I read and what people in the groups/boards that I frequent report.
This does help a lot. It's a very good breakdown and gives me a starting place. I do intend on getting the book, but can you tell me what about the Davis method is different? What makes it work better with some rather than others/all?
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Have you heard of the Sound Foundation? They make the Dancing Bears and Apple & Pears curriculum for struggling readers.
We've made great strides over here and I've heard lots of great reviews from others.
http://www.soundfoundationsbooks.co.uk/
Good luck!
I had heard of them and looked at them last year around this time, but somehow I had a very difficult time navigating the webpage and deciding what I needed to purchase. I'm not sure. It seemed odd to me, but that's all I remember about it. I'll look again. lol
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I agree with OneStep... and I highly recommend reading Overcoming Dyslexia. It tells you how a normal learner learns to read and how to teach reading and then it contrasts how a dyslexic learner struggles with reading and how to assist them on the journey. I wished I had read it years ago. It is solid information.
Thank you for the book suggestion. I have never been exposed to how a "normal" learner learns to read. My teaching experience was middle school and my daughter basically was born reading (20 months reading my email!!! :confused1: ) I will take any and all book recommendations.
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Just for your trivia, you might do the pre-test for Barton. It's free on her site and might give you helpful information. One of the problems when you have a reading problem like that that looks like dyslexia is determining if you're seeing a phonological processing problem or a working memory problem or a visual processing problem or a mixture. Those things would have very different approaches, depending on what is going on. In my ds' case, there are all 3, so I'm going at each one. However someone could have one component or another and not all three. AAS isn't going to remediate severe phonological processing problems and won't help working memory or visual processing. It's a great program, no beef there. I'm just suggesting digging in before you buy. A little info like that can help you target your purchases and save time, which at this point is really precious as the dc starts to notice he isn't reading like his peers.
Thank you!! That is a good idea to start with. I know that he has some auditory issues just from the way he mishears what people say. We have done the general hearing test at the pediatrician, but they were quick to point out that discrimination is not assessed through that test. I suspect there may be a working memory problem just because I know his father has a definite weakness in short term memory. Finding someone qualified to assess his visual processing has been problematic; there just aren't any around here and money, as always, is an issue. Are there any other pretests that I can use to help me target my approach. I know that my Special Education training will stand me in good stead. Unfortunately without a brick and mortar school to use as a base, my training as a diagnostician is limited to the tests I already own. :-(
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I am looking for a reading program for my 7 year old for next school year. We have done little "formal" work thus far because I suspect he may be dyslexic. I was curious if he would mature into reading via more standard methods (Bob Books, ETC 1 and 2, early readers), but that hasn't happened yet and I'm not willing to wait any longer.
Currently I am considering All About Reading and Dianne Craft's reading program with brain integration. Does anyone have any experience with either/both of these? Can anyone give a brief review/recommendation from actual usage? There is quite a price difference between the two programs, so it has me curious as to quality/quantity.
If something is unclear or I have left some vital piece of information out, please ask. I've promised movie night and I'm flying to get things done so that we can!! :-P
Thanks in advance,
rowan
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Hello everyone,
We started homeschooling back in 2009 and I found a webpage called 3moms. On their site, they had state homeschool compliance and record keeping sets that I ordered. They have been so valuable; it is the one thing that I STILL use on a daily basis. I was looking for the site to recommend to a friend who was just starting out and discovered that the site is gone. Does anyone remember this besides me? Does anyone know if it has morphed into another site? Does anyone know if this sort of thing is still available somewhere else?
Thanks in advance,
rowan
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I think I've narrowed my choices down to IEW and the Junior English from Galore Park. I'm going to have to spend some time reading through each one and seeing what isn't included that I will have to add. Thanks everyone!!!
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Well, I'm a Brit, so no issues for me! You will see spelling differences and very occasional punctuation differences.
Religion will occur in cultural contexts (poems about Christmas, etc.) but there won't be any preaching.
L
LOL!!! Then I guess you didn't have any issues!! LOL
Thank you, that's good to know. :-)
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Yes - I used it with Hobbes. I really, really liked it. There is a whole-chapter sample on the GP website - all the chapters have the same format, so it will give you a good idea. It's designed for age 7-8. If it's too much writing, some of it could be done orally.
L
Did you run into any issues with British vocabulary vs. American vocabulary? I'm assuming that it is secular, so there shouldn't be any issues with religion or politics, right? My daughter liked the looks of these, so I'll need to read about them in more detail.
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Look into www.testingmom.com and compare prices. Their site includes BrainPop/BrainPopJr as one of the offered enrichment programs. If you get on their mailing list she regularly runs specials, you can stretch your money by getting a lot more materials than just brainpop.
I haven't heard of this site before. Thank you!
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Regarding IEW--
Before (or else along with) teaching IEW, the parent/teacher is supposed to listen to the TWSS DVD Seminar (TWSS = Teaching Writing: Structure and Style). Buying this set is the first pricey part of IEW, unless you can find a good deal on it used. You don't have to listen to all 6 DVD's at once, but you can listen to them as you go along, staying one step ahead of your child.
Some people (the ones who have never listened to the TWSS) say you can teach IEW without listening to the teacher training course. IEW strongly discourages that, and I agree. IMO the people who say you don't need the TWSS don't know what they are missing.
You don't have to buy anything else from IEW once you have learned their method from the TWSS. However most people buy one or more of the student programs because it is much simpler to use IEW's pre-prepared lessons than trying to come up with them yourself. Many of the student programs are very reasonably priced. The DVD courses for the student (Student Writing Intensive-A, etc.) are expensive. These DVD courses are what I mainly use. Through these courses, my kids are not only learning how to write but also enjoying writing. I have spent quite a bit of money on IEW products, but I don't regret it since I am extremely pleased with the results.
IEW's best asset (in my opinion) is teaching the style elements. I have used other programs to teach my kids more about structure. For example, lately I have been using Wariner's Composition: Models and Exercises (First Course) with one of my kids to solidify paragraph writing. You may like that one. It is out of print but easy to find used.
If you have any interest, here is my basic writing plan.
Year 1:
IEW (Student Writing Intensive-A)--first half of the course, plus
Wariner's Composition: Models and Exercises (alternate weeks with IEW), plus
a few other assignments such as friendly letters and 3-paragraph history research reports
Year 2:
Finish IEW (SWI-A) and paragraph writing
Continue with friendly letter and a few reports
Year 3:
IEW (Student Continuation Course B )--first half of the course, plus
Maxwell's School Composition: for use in higher grammar classes (alternate weeks with IEW), plus
a few friendly letters and 3-5 paragraph history research reports
Year 4:
Finish IEW and Maxwell's School Composition,
plus friendly letters and reports periodically
Year 5:
Essay writing...
Thank you! This is what I was looking for to help me understand their program from a practical standpoint, rather than from a making a sale standpoint. I will definitely be looking at this more closely with your response in mind.
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Aimee,
Rod and Staff English 5 is excellent and inexpensive for grammar. It also has some composition exercises, though not enough for a whole year IMO.
Vocabulary Workshop is a good workbook vocabulary program, especially if you discuss the lessons with your child and try to use the new words often in conversation.
As for reading comprehension, if you are looking for short passages (such as on a standardized test), Evan Moor Daily Reading Comprehension workbooks have been great for our kids. Or else you could use Writing With Ease 3, just the readings and the comprehension/summary questions. Or else you could make a good library book list, check the books out, and either discuss the books with your child or require book reports/summaries. Or else have your child read aloud to you 10-15 minutes per day and check reading comprehension orally.
We use IEW for our main composition program which is the opposite of cheap (though I consider it worth the price). However, this year in 5th grade we are also using an old, out of print book from 1900 as a supplement to our other materials, which I love and which you can download free.
School Composition: for use in higher grammar classes (Sorry I can't get the link to work.)
You mentioned IEW. I was looking at their webpage and samples and I do like what I can see. However, it says you need to be trained in their methodology. In looking at the sample pages, I see nothing that would require specialized training. Do you think it can stand alone, or is the special training really necessary?
Considering two programs....opinions?
in K-8 Curriculum Board
Posted
What did you like about it? I've only used the early grades and wasn't overly impressed. I'd heard the upper levels were better, but I'm unsure.